


How To Make Christmas Happen

by Dblukauskis



Series: It's A PI Kind of Christmas [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Beaches, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Law and Order - Freeform, Love, Moving In Together, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, Snow, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-17 23:07:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13087347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dblukauskis/pseuds/Dblukauskis
Summary: It's always nerve wrecking to spend Christmas together for the first time.... sometimes more for some of the people involved.Or how Barba and Ren spend their first Christmas together





	1. The Boxes

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a Christmas special, its not related in anyway to the plot of It's A PI Kind Of Thing, but I hope you guys like it :D

It was that time of the year again, the last month of the year, that moment in time where it seemed the snow shined brighter against the sun, that the wind blew harder against the windows and the people walking down the streets, were the white color that took over New York appeared even whiter, mixing up with greens and reds and golden; it was just that time of the year again.

It just so happened that this year he had found himself thinking about Christmas more than the past few years.

Currently snow was falling gently outside, the flakes dancing and swaying with the wind, some hitting the tall windows of the apartment, never making it to the floor like the rest of the batch; his eyes watched as a few thrilled and dipped and precipitated down and away from his window.

Barba was sheltered from the snow and the cold wind inside his beautiful apartment, he was sitting over the sofa, his legs crossed and his jacket and briefcase resting next to him, it had been a good day, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t been a tough and long one, and now here he was, watching the snow and the night fall over the city he had decided to protect.

He rolled his shoulders and closed his eyes for a moment, he was tired but sleep wouldn’t come early that night, he could just feel it.

He had no idea how right he was.

Rafael allowed his body to relax for a moment, he was out of the office, he had time for himself, he could offer some take out, he could call her…

His phone roared to life.

The man jolted on his seat, his eyes popping open and his heart racing, the ringtone echoing into the silent apartment like a sledgehammer; Barba leaned forward towards the coffee table in front of him and scooped his phone up, a smirk drawing over his face as he read the caller ID.

“Hello” he said, setting his elbows over his knees, his eyes drifting towards his shoes.

“Hi!” her voice was cheerful, and there was a tone of agitation in it. “Are you at the office?” she asked “Thanks” she added, her voice a bit far, he knew she was probably talking to someone else.

“No, I’m at the apartment”

“Oh!” and he could practically hear the smile “You’re home?”

“Yeah” he nodded “Are you home?”

“Great, this couldn’t be better” she grunted and something rattled at her side of the line “Shit, oh fuck, fuck, fuck” her voice became increasingly distant and then something crashed at the other side.

Barba raised as eyebrow as he waited for some kind of answer, he started to frown slowly, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking down at the screen, maybe the call had been disconnected.

“Sorry, I dropped the phone” her voice came back to him “Anyway, as you were saying”

“Are you home yet?”

“No,” she answered, “But I could use your help, Barba, are you interested?”

“I’m listening” he smiled, shaking his head and erasing the frown from his face.

“Great, then I need you to come downstairs and help me with a few things” she laughed.

“What?”

“I’m at the lobby” she shrugged, even if he couldn’t see her “And I need your help with a few things that I brought”

“What kind of things?”

“Are you serious?!” she chuckled “Get down here, god, you are impossible” and with that she hung up.

“Oh god” he shook his head with a small smile and looked down at his phone for a few seconds before he pushed himself up to his feet. “Esta mujer” he sighed, as he walked around the sofa, slipping his phone into the pocket of his pants.

He reached the door and grabbed the apartment keys from the small hanger were he kept them and reached for the door, he pulled it open and stepped out.

Of course the last thing he had expected or thought about when he had gotten to his house that late afternoon was what he came face to face when he walked out of the elevator of his building, the lobby greeted him with his doorman holding a medium size card box with a smaller one on top, and standing next to him was her.

Ren’s dark green beanie hat still had snowflakes over it, a few others had landed over her hair and her cheeks were flushed from the cold wind, but that hadn’t diminished the smile she had when his eyes landed over her.

She gave a soft excited squeal and gave the box that she was holding a small shake, the snowflakes from her thick coat flopped down and disappeared on the floor as Barba walked up to his doorman and Ren.

“Mr. Barba” greeted the man once more.

“Jack” Barba smiled at him, “Alvarez”

“Barba” she smiled, he tore his eyes away from her and turned to Jack.

“Here you go sir” he handed the boxes to Barba, he looked at them and hesitated for a few seconds before he reached forward and took the boxes, Ren stepped forward and Barba could almost sense the excitement bursting from her.

“What’s going on?” he asked as soon as Jack had walked away from them.

“A brought a surprise” she explained, he raised an eyebrow at her, but he wasn’t able to hide his smile.

“What kind?”

“You have to open the boxes and see” she shrugged, she started to walk towards the elevator, Barba looked down at his boxes and turned on the ball of his heels, he hadn’t seen much of Ren on the last week, he had been swarming with work and she had understood and given him his space, and seeing her return to his place wearing a hat full of snow and a flushed face, was something he wasn’t about to trade for anything.

So just like that, he followed after her, with his two boxes, she was holding the door with her foot and her hip popped to the left.

“I thought you weren’t coming today” he pointed out as the doors of the elevator closed, he glanced at her by the rear of his eyes but her eyes were over the number count.

“I wasn’t” she answered, she adjusted her grip on the box “You said you didn’t know at what time you might come home, but when I was going to my place I saw this” she gave the box a shake and smiled before she turned to look at him “So I took my chances and thankfully you were already home”

“I was” he agreed, he looked away “I was thinking about you too”

“You were not” she laughed loudly just as the door opened up for them, she walked out without missing a beat, her laugh still over her face and echoing in the hallway and elevator.

Barba watched her for a moment before he followed after her, a bit bothered that she didn’t believe that he had in fact been thinking about her; this time of year with all the shops open and gifts flowing everywhere, he had been thinking a lot more about her than he usually did.

The thing was, that it had been a while since he had been seeing someone when the holidays had arrived, after Yelina there had only been another woman who had spent Christmas with him and now here was Renata Alvarez, who was like a technicolor star soaring in a city that was used to only seeing blacks and whites and greys.

So the question had popped into his mind early that month when he had been making his way to work.

What present do you get to a technicolor star?

They walked into the living room as Barba continued to think that Christmas Eve was just around the color and he still had no idea if he should get a present, and what to even get and to make things worse, Ren had showed up to his place with not one, but four boxes that she had called presents.

She certainly was one of a kind.

Ren set the boxes down and rapidly shook her coat off, she was wearing a knitted sweater that Olivia had gotten her for her birthday, she dropped the coat on the sofa as Barba placed his boxes over the coffee table.

“Good afternoon, Barba” she whispered, he turned to look at her and the young woman reached forward, her right hand cupping his face and her lips pressing against his gently, he could taste the lipstick she was wearing and her hair tickled against the side of his face as he kissed her back.

Barba’s left hand snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him, her hand pressing a bit harder against his face as she kissed him deeper, a small smile spreading over her lips just before she pulled away from him just enough to look at him in the eye.

“Good afternoon, Alvarez” he said back, she smiled and gave him a soft peck on the lips before she stepped away from him, his hand still on her hip when she turned to look at the boxes.

“Ok” she nodded “So, I know what you said, and all but” she turned to look at him, her eyes big and excited and he couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“What?”

“I brought somethings for the apartment” she said, giving him an apologetic kind of smile before she turned back to the boxes.

“What kind of things?” he asked, his eyebrow quirked up before she reached for the first box, the medium one he had brought up.

 “Open this one first”

“Ren”

“Please” she said, her eyes big and faking that kind of innocence that he liked more than he was ever willing to admit.

“Fine” he agreed, her took the box and found it incredibly easy to open, he glanced up at her, she was just setting things too easy for him.

He looked down at the box and opened one of the flaps and his stomach dropped, his heart turned as his lips gaped.

He grabbed the box with just one hand and the other one reached inside, gently he took the object and pulled it out.

It was a snowglobe, a delicate tree inside with a snowman next to it, the glitter shined bright against the lights in the apartment and its silver base, with its delicate decorations went perfectly with the things he had on the coffee table.

“Corazon” he looked up at her.

“You said you liked snowglobes” she shrugged and looked at him, there was a soft blush on her face and he was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she had been out in the cold. “And I thought this one would look beautiful in the apartment”

She pushed her hair behind her ears before she turned to look back at the other boxes, her left hand reaching to her neck, she scratched it once and stopped, a mannerism that Barba knew was her way to deal with anxiety.

“I love it” he said, she turned back to him and gave him a smile.

“Good, because there are three more boxes”

“Of snowglobes?” he joked.

“No!” she chuckled, dropping herself to her knees, her hands reaching for another of the boxes “Of Christmas decorations to put around the apartment” she explained, he looked at her as she continued to talk.

Her golden hair had no match, her delicate face was bright and flushed and her eyes were shining with excitement and this was the woman who was oh so ready to rip his clothes off just two weeks ago on the elevator and hadn’t even waited to get to the bed and had directed him to the kitchen, here she was, her eyes intense but not in the same way as she opened the other boxes.

This woman who found ways of making his heart leap that he wasn’t sure she knew, this was the technicolor star that he had no idea he wanted and needed, and then when she couldn’t say or do anything that could make his heart beat faster, or to make his questions about gift swarm harder against his brain, she spoke in a rush a few words that meant more to him that he would know at that moment.

“And this is our home and I thought this gingerbread guy would look so cool at the entrance, you know?” she shrugged, not noticing that Barba had been in silence since she had gotten to her knees “But I don’t know, maybe you want to set him elsewhere, the kitchen could work too,”

And that was how with a couple of boxes, Ren was about to show Barba how Christmas happened.


	2. The Cookies and Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rafael sets up details and Ren remembers her best gift.

There was a festive vibe flowing through the halls of Lucia Barba’s house, outside the wind was blowing against the windows but the snow had stopped falling, quiet ruling the streets outside as the woman placed two mugs over the coffee table in the middle of the living room; she wrapped her hands around her own mug and looked at her son.

“So, are you planning on doing something special for Christmas?” she asked, they had already covered the subject of Rafael’s hectic week that had just gone by and now, with the coffee warming up their bodies, they could drift into much nicer things to talk about.

“Not really” he answered, lowering his mug and glancing at the cookies that Lucia had placed over a small plate over the table.

Both of them were sitting at each end of the sofa, a few Christmas decorations shining around the apartment as they talked.

“Why?” she asked, she lifted the mug up to her lips and took a sip from it.

“We might go out for dinner, stay at my apartment” he explained, with his left hand he reached for one of the cookies and took a bite from it. “Like we talked about,” he added “You’ll be joining us, right?”

“Yes, of course” she nodded “I’ll have to leave a bit early, you know how your aunt gets sometimes”

Rafael rolled his eyes but there was no annoyance behind them, he knew his mother was very close to her family, but Rafael had never been that close to them, always following his own path, but still he understood the desire his mother had to spend Christmas with the family, he just wasn’t about to drag Renata to a family gathering, knowing the way they were sometimes.

“I’ll meet you at the restaurant”

“Sure” he agreed, he took another bite from the cookie as his mother continued.

“And how is she?” asked Lucia “How has she been feeling?”

Rafael’s eyes snapped up to his mother, less than half a cookie gone in his hands, he swallowed and lowered the cookie, this wasn’t exactly the topic he wanted to talk about, it was still a sensitive one, considering that it had happened just a few months ago.

“She’s ok, mamá” he answered, she searched his eyes for a moment but said nothing, she knew he’d continue talking if she didn’t interrupt him. “She’s recovered completely, so the pills and the visits to the doctor have stopped”

“That’s wonderful” she nodded and smiled at him, “I was meaning to ask her when you guys came over last time, but I didn’t think it was appropriate” she shrugged.

“You can ask her next time” Rafael smiled at her “She won’t be bothered, trust me”

“I will” she looked at the window, Ren had been so different from the other girls that Rafael had ever brought home, Yelina and Melissa had been both very nice, Yelina’s story with Rafael had ended terribly and Melissa, though Rafael’s feelings for her had been sincere, it hadn’t lasted long and then was Ren, the youngest of them all, and she was nice and bubbly, but mostly, Lucia could see the positive way in which Rafael had changed now that they were dating.

“Oh!” her eyes snapped towards the shelf she had at the end of the living room “I have your presents here” she turned to look at Rafael, his eyes drifting from her and towards the shelf she had been looking at and then turned to her.

“Mamá” he sighed.

“No” she shook her head “Don’t start with that” she rolled her eyes annoyed “Why are you acting so surprised? I give you a gift every year”

He chuckled “Sorry”

“Should I give them to you now, or on the 24th?”

“The 24Th” he shrugged “We’ll put them under the stockings in the living room”

“Yeah, that sound… wait what?” she frowned as she looked at him “Stocking?”

Rafael looked at her and he felt a soft blush spread over his face as a soft smirk spread over Lucia’s face, he shrugged, trying to dismiss the question that had just slipped out of her mouth.

“I have decorations in the living room” he explained, trying to sound casual.

“You set up decorations this year?” she asked, she had set her mug over the coffee table, so she crossed her arms with a smile over her face.

“Yes” he answered “A few stockings, a snowglobe, other things” he shrugged.

She smiled, it had been a long time since Rafael had decorated his apartment, he’d always say he was too busy, that he didn’t have time to look for decorations, that he wasn’t in the mood, and now here he was just decorating his apartment as if it was something he did every year.

“That’s nice” she nodded “Where did you get them?”

“I didn’t” he cleared his throat “Ren brought them over a few days ago, she wanted to decorate the place”

“And you just let her waltz into the apartment with decorations?” she asked, her smile getting bigger “I thought you didn’t like decorating, that it took up too much space from the apartment, that it didn’t go with your own decorations”

“Stop” he chuckled “I wasn’t going to ask her to leave” he shrugged.

“Or maybe you like that she helped you decorate the place”

“Maybe” he shrugged “Anyway,” she smiled as he changed the subject “Meet us at my apartment, not the restaurant on the 24th, alright?”

“Sure” she nodded, trying her best not to keep smiling.

“Perfect” he nodded.

“What did you get her?” the question blurt out of Lucia’s mouth and right into every doubt Rafael had had since the beginning of December.

He looked at his mother for a few seconds and shrugged, trying his best to look casual, but unable to hide the tension on his shoulders; he hadn’t done this in years, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure what to give her, he’d given her books and a dress for her birthday, a book and a necklace for Valentines, what was he supposed to do now? There just so many books she could or wanted to read.

“I haven’t gotten her anything, yet” he explained.

Lucia looked at him for a few seconds before she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you going to give her something?”

“Mamá, of course I am” he sounded offended “I just don’t know what to get her yet”

“What did you get her for her birthday?”

“A dress and a book” he wasn’t about to also tell her that he’d bought her lingerie to go with the dress “And a necklace and a book for Valentines”

“I love that she loves to read” smiled Lucia “And you have ideas about what she might like?”

“Yes” he lied, she raised an eyebrow at him “I’ll think of something, mamá, don’t worry about it”

“Oh, no” she shook her head with a smiled “I’m not worried, but you sure look like you are”

And despite the fact that she was not wrong, Rafael chuckled at her words and shook his head before reaching to take another cookie from the plate.

 

___________//____________

 

Ren was laying down over the sofa in Alex’s and Nat’s living room, her legs over Alex’s lap as Nat sat on the floor, three mugs of hot chocolate over the coffee table and a few pastries from their bakery sat over the table as well; it was a cozy and warm feeling to fight away the cold from the outside.

“We are still up for Christmas, right?” asked Alex.

“Yeah” answered Ren, she shifted her body and lay on her side to look at Nat as well “We’ll be here at around six”

“Cool, so what are you guys doing for the 24th” asked Nat.

“You mean, Christmas” chuckled Ren, Alex shrugged.

“Yes, what are you guys doing?”

“I don’t know” said Ren, she snuggled a bit more on the sofa, curling her feet over Alex’s lap, wearing miss matching socks. “We are going to get dinner with Barba and his mom and, I don’t know, not much”

“You bought his present already?” asked Nat, she reached forward and took the last gingerbread cookie, she leaned over the table and rested her elbow over it, propping her head over her hand.

“Yeah, of course I did” said Ren, she smiled, she had found the present without trouble, and without doubt she had gotten it before it had been sold to someone else, and now the present lay on the coffee table of her apartment, wrapped in a shiny blue wrapping paper with a silver bow.

“Well, at least let’s hope he gets you a cool present”

“Shut up” laughed Ren as she looked at Nat “He already got me the book I wanted”

“And that bomb ass dress” laughed Alex.

“I mean, I’m not sure he can top Jackson Lewis’ gift” pointed out Nat.

“He could sure try” shrugged Alex.

“Really?” asked Nat as she glanced at Alex “He gave her a pug puppy, no one can top that”

Ren laughed loudly, hitting Alex’s knee with her foot, that wasn’t a lie, Jackson Lewis, her middle school boyfriend had indeed given her the best Christmas present ever, a black Pug puppy that she had named Lorenzo, who she had loved deeply for 12 years.

“Shut up, my dog was awesome” Ren smiled, “And I don’t need him to top that gift” she shrugged “He doesn’t have to, it’s not a competition, I just want to go for dinner and if we are lucky then let’s hope it snows so we can take nice pictures”

“You know what?” shrugged Alex, her fingers pulling slightly at the hem of one of Ren’s socks “Its your first Christmas together, so as long as you guys have fun, that’s enough”

“You’re right” smiled Ren, because she wasn’t going to lie, she had been looking forward to spending Christmas with Rafael, she hadn’t given it much thought about the fact that it was their first Christmas together.

She hadn’t given it much thought to the fact that Rafael didn’t have much of the Christmas spirit, as a matter of fact, it had even appeared that he hadn’t noticed it was Christmas, but she wasn’t bothered by that, she could have enough spirit for both of them and at the end of the day he hadn’t seemed pissed or annoyed that she had set up decorations around his house; and now all she needed was to have a nice dinner with her boyfriend and then cuddle at home, she didn’t need anything else except maybe a nice picture under the falling snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, they are celebrating Christmas on the 24th becuase that how we celebrate in Latin America, and the pug puppy is named after my black Pug that my dad got me for my brithday :P
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter!! and Happy New Years to everyone!!! Love and the best vibes for everyone <3 <3 <3


	3. Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas dinner and gift time

Barba was looking out the window and into the night that had fallen over the city, the snow had stopped falling a few hours ago, but he hadn’t even noticed that the snow had been falling in the first place; he had been waiting outside in the living room for the last ten minutes, Ren had ushered him out of the room once she had been ready to put her underwear on, which had given Barba a sight of the woman he lived with as she got her makeup and her hair done while walking around the room naked.

There was a soft hiss of the door of his room being open, he heard the soft clicking of high heels and a small smile drew over his face as he continued to watch the cars going by down below, still he remained with his hands inside the pockets of his pants as the clicking sound approached him.

“How’s the view?” her hands landed over his shoulders, her body pressed against his back softly, her voice was soft and she smelled of perfume, something she usually never really used.

“Lista?” he asked.

“Yep” she nodded, her hair brushing against his face, the young woman leaned forward and pressed her lips against his ear and gave him a soft kiss. “When is your mom getting here?”

“She called before you were ready” he explained, he felt her hands leaving his shoulders “She’ll be here in maybe twenty minutes”

“Great” she said, and again he heard the clicking sound of her heels, he hesitated for a moment and the finally turned around.

Her back was to him as she made her way towards the kitchen, under the lights of the apartment, her red sequin dress shined beautifully, her long blond hair held only away from her face and soft curls hanged around her shoulders and over her back.

Ren reached the counter and gently took the wine bottle that she had left there before they were getting ready to head out, three glasses were next to it, but Ren had the impression that they would have to head out just as soon as Lucia got to the apartment; she pulled out the cork and served two of the glasses.

She strained her ear but couldn’t hear anything behind her, she popped her hip to the left and then turned to look over her shoulder.

“Are you not going to join me for some wine, Mr. Barba?” her lashes casted webbed shadows over her highlighted cheeks.

“Without a doubt” he smiled, making his way towards her, she smirked at him and turned back to the wine she was serving.

His hands landed over her hips, he wasn’t a fan of the way sequins felt against his skin but he was certainly a fan of the way this dress looked on Ren, he squeezed her hips gently and leaned in, kissing the exposed part of her right shoulder; the young woman smiled as she looked down at the glasses, she picked them up gently and then slowly turned around to face Barba, the red sequins prickling against him.

“You look stunning” he whispered, his hands circling around her and stopping on the small of her back. “Como siempre”

“Well,” she handed him one of the glasses, Barba’s right hand appeared from behind her and took the delicate object away. “You look dashing, Mr. Barba”

“I try my best” he smirked before looking down at his glass.

“Let’s toast for an amazing evening” she whispered, she clicked her glass against his, their eyes not leaving each other and then she raised the glass up to her lips, Barba doing the same.

Barba leaned forward and set his glass just behind Ren, his eyes tearing away from her to make sure he set the glass over the surface, all the while, Ren watched him until he stood up straight, his left hand still on the small of her back.

“I didn’t know you had this dress” he whispered, his face oh so close to her, their lips almost brushing against each other.

“I bought it recently” she answered, her eyes shining under the lights of the kitchen.

“I like it” he answered, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Ren leaned forward, closing her eyes as they kissed, her lips were soft and she smelled of violets and that shampoo she loved so much, his free hand joined his left one and she felt the way he pulled her closer to him, his hands sliding down to the side of her legs and then there was a small pull, and she allowed him to pick her up briefly and set her over the counter.

Barba pulled away from the kiss and turned to look at the glass that Ren was holding, he took it gently from her hand and placed it next to her on the counter, her dress had slipped up her legs as he moved to stand between them.

“Do you like it because I’m not wearing any bra?” she laughed against his lips before she gave him a soft kiss.

He laughed against her lips and she was sure that there was no better feeling in the world than that, than feeling happiness against her own lips, she giggled too and pulled him closer to her, his arms pulling her towards him and their lips locking.

“You not wearing a bra, is just a plus” he whispered once they broke away from each other, Ren opened her mouth to speak but his phone started to ring, startling both of them out of their small kissing bubble.

Barba pulled away from her and patted his pants rapidly, his left hand finding the phone in his pocket and pulling it out rapidly to see his mother’s name on the screen.

“Hello” he answered, glancing at Ren by the rear of his eyes, the young woman had retrieved her glass of wine and was taking a long drink before she pushed herself off the counter. “Yeah, we are on our way down, then”

He pulled his phone away from his ear and turned to look at his girlfriend.

“She’s here” she said, “Let’s go then”

“Yeah, she’s here” he nodded, and setting his hand on the small of her back he head her towards the coat rack where she had left her long coat and scarf and he had what he needed so they could make their way downstairs and then to the restaurant.

 

___________//____________

 

Dinner had gone longer than any of them could have expected, the food had been delicious, the wine just perfect and the company had been amazing, now almost at midnight, Barba and Ren had stepped out of the taxi to say goodbye to Lucia.

“Merry Christmas” Ren hugged Lucia “It was great to have you tonight”

“Oh sweetie” she hugged Ren back “The pleasure was all mine” she gave the young woman a kiss on the cheek and stepped away from the hug “Merry Christmas, and I am so glad that you are feeling much better now”

“Oh yeah” Ren nodded with a smile “It was more of the scare than the actual thing, you know?” she shrugged “But hey, it had to be done and now everything is fine”

“If you need anything, don’t ever be afraid to ask, I’ll go with you to the doctor if you’d like” Lucia continued.

Ren blushed “No, that’s ok, don’t worry”

“It’s no problem for me” Lucia shrugged “Trust me, ok?”

Ren looked at her, this woman who had taken her in like a daughter, who treated her so perfectly and who looked so worried about her wellbeing, who had been at the hospital the next day that Ren had been there without hesitation when Barba had had to leave for an emergency at the office.

“Ok, then” Ren nodded “I will, thank you”

“Thank you, dear” she smiled before she turned to her son. “Mijo” he stepped towards her and they embraced each other “Thank you for everything” she whispered against his ear “Have a great rest of the night”

“We will” he whispered back “Thank you for joining us” he kissed her cheek. “Feliz Navidad”

“Text me when you get home” said Lucia as she stepped away from Barba.

“Always do” he nodded, and then they were off back to the apartment, and Barba was already dreading it.

“Your mom is always so much fun” Ren was saying as they walked into the building. “And how did she know I liked rings?” she looked down at her hand, she was already wearing the set of three rings that Lucia had given her as a Christmas present.

“You never wear earrings, Corazon” he pointed out as he pressed the button for the elevator “And I think she’s only seen you wear one or two bracelets” he shrugged, his arms around her hips as she stood in front of him with her back to his chest, he looked down at her rings. “And I might have told her you liked rings the best”

“I knew it” she chuckled and glanced at him by the rear of her eyes.

“But she picked them by herself” he chuckled and pressed a kiss against her neck as the doors of the elevator opened up for them.

“Well, she has an amazing taste” Ren pointed out. “Anyway,” she walked inside with Barba’s arms still around her “I’m feeling like taking a hot shower, you know? Too much snow” she pressed the floor button.

“I think I’ll join you on that one” he said, he released her hips and took her hand.

“I’ll be nice” she batted her eyelashes at him.

“Is that so?” he quirked an eyebrow at her and the way she was faking all this new found innocence.

“Of course” her voice dropped. “I’m always a nice girl” she gave him a small smile “Especially when I’m on my knees”

Barba laughed “There it is” she raised an eyebrow questioningly but her eyes remained big. “I was wondering where all your inappropriate comments had gone”

She gasped in fake insult as the doors of the elevator opened up for them “Inappropriate?” she stepped out of the elevator and glanced at him over her shoulder “Inappropriate what you did to me this morning over the kitchen island, Mr. Barba” she shook her head and started to walk down the hallway “Breakfast wasn’t even cold yet”

“You thought that was inappropriate?” he asked, fishing for the keys off his pockets and hoping that all this stimulating talk would make her forget about opening presents.

“Don’t you think?” she asked, she glanced at him, she was biting her thumb gently and her eyes were doe fake innocent eyes and she knew it was working magic on him.

“Then you are in for a big surprise tonight, Ms. Alvarez” he whispered as they reached the door of the apartment “Let’s make it two big surprises, I think your cross-examination has been out of line”

He pushed the door of the apartment open and she waltzed in, her dress flying around her legs and her hair looking like liquid gold, as she took off her coat.

“Well,” she sang “I’m a big girl, I can take what you have in mind” she smiled at him and turned around rapidly once more, and he wondered how on earth she managed to spin so fast on those heels. “But before you tie me to the bed, let’s open presents”

And Barba cringed inside because this was not what he wanted at the moment.

The young woman reached the place where she had set her present and he had set his and she took what she had brought the day before, Barba took off his coat and walked up to her, she was fidgeting and had already stepped out of her high heels and he knew she was excited, he wasn’t about to ruin that because he wasn’t sure of what he had gotten her.

“I’ll go first” and with that she handed him the thin square like object in her hands, he looked at her and took it from her hands.

He unwrapped it softly, and slowly a vinyl record came into view, the cover was colorful, a white background for splats of paint and he could make out a few delicate flowers, in the middle on a white circle he could read.

 **“R &B” **he read out loud before he looked at her.

“You are the only person I know that has a vinyl player” she explained and “I found this shop and they made me this one”

“They made you this one?” he asked.

“Yes” she motioned at him to turn it around, he did and saw a list of songs over it and his heart melted and he felt like his soul was being reborn. “I got your favorite song, and mine and a few of the songs we both like” she explained “I asked them to put the song we danced together at the party from your office, and the one from before I went to the hospital, I don’t know” she blushed harder “I just put some songs in there that reminded me of you and of us” she cleared her throat “That’s why it’s called R&B, Ren and Barba, it sounded better than A&B”

“Its perfect, Corazon”

“You like it?” she smiled at him and how was he not supposed to like it, it screamed her from head to toes, the colors, the songs, the authenticity of it all, it was a piece of her, she had thought it out so much that Barba felt like he was just about to disappoint her completely with his gift, because he was disappointed in himself for getting her that.

“I love it” he nodded, and she smiled wider and he hated himself even more. “Ok,” he whispered, he had fucked up this, and now he had to own it at least he had to do that. Barba took the gift he had gotten her and turned to her, he handed it to her and he could feel his heart hammering in his chest. “Here you go”

“Thanks” she smiled and took it, her eager hands, that were so delicate sometimes, ripped through the paper because she thought it was bad luck to unpack it nicely and he looked at her as the gift came into view.

“You have to open it” he explained just as she was looking down at the book, it was a hard cover one, but it was also a copy from the first editions that had been printed, she looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow before she looked down at the book and opened it.

And her jaw dropped, her eyes shined and still Barba wanted to take it all back, he didn’t want to give her that, he regretted it instantly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she asked as she looked up at him.

“No” he shook his head “It’s real”

“How did you get this?!” she shrieked with happiness.

“Someone I know was at a book signing of his just a few months ago” and it wasn’t a lie, because the thing was, this gift had been intended to be given for their anniversary, not Christmas, and he just oh so wanted to turn back time and go for the first thing that had come to his mind, that had been the only thing that would have been the perfect gift, only that would have made him feel right about all this that was going on.

“Oh my god, baby!” and she threw her arms around him, only giving him time to get his now most precious vinyl out of the way, her arms around his neck tight as she held the copy of _The Tommyknockers_ that had been signed especially for her by Stephen King in one hand.

She pulled away from him and pressed her lips hard against his, her lipstick staining his lips and face before she pushed herself away from him, she looked down at the book and then set it right where the gifts had been waiting for them.

“I love it” she smiled at him, her eyes shining and her smile big and beautiful “So, if you’d please put your gift aside and follow me to the shower, that’d be great” because she was a bit tipsy and she was head over heels for this man, and she had gotten the best gift ever and she felt her skin on fire and screaming at her to be naked with him; she needed it, she wanted it.

He reached forward to her and set his hands over her hips, the sequins digging into his hands as he pulled her closer to him, his fingers pulling up the dress gently as she leaned against him, and she could feel the way his skin was heating up and the way his eyes were drilling into hers and there was just something in the way they looked at each other that made her want to just strip there and then.

His hands touched her bare thighs as he pushed the dress towards her hips, he had hated his gift to her but the love in her eyes and the way her skin felt and the way she smelled and looked, and the gift she had gotten him, had him already half hard and it was their first Christmas together and there was no way they would just go to bed early.

And just when he was about to reach and expose her hips, her hands landed over his hands to stop him.

“You know, all that talk about me being a bad girl” she leaned forward as she whispered to him, her lips brushing against his hair “It made me realize that I have one last bad thing to confess”

“What would that be, Ms. Alvarez?” he asked, and his voice was so filled with want that he was sure she could hear it. “I’m sure we can find a fitting punishment for that”

“Well, you see Mr. Barba” she whispered against his ear, their chests pressed against each other and her hands over his as he squeezed her skin gently. “When I went to the bathroom before we left the restaurant” she explained “I took my underwear off, and I was just dying to let you know”

He stiffened for a moment against her, she pulled her hands away from his and he raised her dress up to her hips, and sure enough there was no underwear elastic.

“You mean to tell me, you drove all the way back here with nothing under this dress?” he whispered to her.

“Yes” she whined against his ear, pressing in all the innocence she could.

“What an inappropriate thing to do” he said, his right hand slipping from her hips and making its ways between her legs.

“So inappropriate” she pressed a soft kiss against his ear. “What are you going to do about it?” 

 

 

_________________//___________________

By the way, this is the dress our girl is wearing

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one last chapter to go, it will be a long one, sorry about that, it will be up tomorrow and it will be fluffy and snowy and nice and also because I missed writting it for them, sex.
> 
> Please let me know what you think!!! 
> 
> Also, what do you think Barba wanted to give her? and even more, is he going to tell her about what he rather have given her? or you know, just bottle it up, like he sometimes does?


	4. Second Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of daily life and some second thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I lied, there's another chapter after this one, it will be up tomorrow :D

The soft rays of light filtered into the room, one of the blackout curtains had been brought down messily and the light was crawling in from under that one, Rafael glanced at the poorly drawn curtain and pushed himself up over his elbows, his eyebrow up and his hair messy; next to him Ren stirred around, kicking away part of the covers and one of her feet poked from under it, but her eyes remained closed and her lips partially gapped as she breath through her mouth.

Barba glanced at her, her blond hair draped over the pillow and her right shoulder exposed from under the covers, it was too early for her to even fathom the idea of getting up, and since they had gone to bed late, he was sure she would be out for a few more hours; Barba pushed himself to a sitting position and pushed the covers away from his body before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, he sighed and pushed himself up of the bed.

He made his way towards the chair he usually kept at the far end near the closet, it was where he usually left his clothes destined to go to the washer, but right now he wasn’t going to risk opening the closet doors that hissed more times than they didn’t, just to get a pair of boxer briefs; Barba grabbed the underwear he had worn the night before and pulled them up, there were probably a clean pair at the small laundry room, so he could get those once he had taken a shower.

Barba walked towards the bathroom, giving Ren one last glance, she had shifted her body, she had turned on her back, her chest exposed and her arm over her stomach, the other one behind her pillow and her hair spread around her, her lips gapped and a soft snore slipping out, and Barba felt the urge to make her a video to show her that in fact she did snore most of the times, even if the sound was soft and gentle.

He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself, he had things to do, and places to be before he returned back home and so, he started to get ready.

 

___________//____________

 

Barba pushed the door of the apartment open and walked in, he was already pulling off his scarf and the warmth of the apartment hugging him deliciously, but what hit him harder was the smell of food cooking in the kitchen, he walked towards the coat rack and set his scarf there, squirming out of the coat and setting it there before he started to walk further inside, his fingers curling around the hem of his sweater and he pulled it off, throwing it over his arm as he entered the kitchen and found Ren there.

The young woman had some music softly playing from her phone, she was moving her hips with the rhythm as she stirred something in a pot, she had change and was wearing a pair of jean shorts with a loose see-through pink shirt, that allowed her black bra to pop from under the fabric.

“Hey” he said, he set the keys over the kitchen island.

Ren turned to look at him, the wooden spoon in her hand and she smiled cheerfully at him.

“Hey, I was wondering where you had gone” she popped her hip to the left “I called you but you didn’t answer” she shrugged.

“Sorry, I was delivering some paperwork”

“Its fine” she nodded “Are you hungry?” she turned to the pots “I’m making sancocho”

“Why?” he laughed “I thought we were having dinner with your friends”

“We are” she nodded, she looked inside the pot and pushed around one of the chicken breasts before she continued “But I’m talking about lunch, Barba, you don’t expect me to have a sandwich or a salad, I’m starving”

“Did you have breakfast?”

“Of course I did” she shook her head “Oh!” she turned around to look at him, pulling the spoon out and a few hot drops from the soup landed over her bare thigh, she hissed and looked up at her boyfriend “We are out of eggs and sausages, also we need milk” she gave him an apologetic smile “Sorry,”

Barba laughed and shook his head “I have this feeling that you like the food better when it comes from my fridge”

“Oh” she popped her hip to the left “Of course I do” she chuckled and turned to the pots “Anyway, get the plates and everything, this is almost done”

“On it” he nodded and did just as she asked.

 

___________//____________

 

Her finger curled around the headboard, pulling towards her as she arched her back, strands of her golden hair slipped over her shoulders, some falling around her face, sticking to her forehead as she closed her eyes and gapped her lips, her knees buckled and she felt his hand circle from her hip and towards her stomach, pressing hard against it as she felt her knees shake once more and her right leg slipped a bit to the side.

It was just a precaution, his hand over her stomach, she knew it wouldn’t last long there, and sure enough his hand traveled from her stomach and up, his chest leaning forward and almost pressing completely over her back; his hand reached her chest, resting for a split second between her breasts before it decided to rest over her right one, his thumb and his index gave her nipple a soft pinch and a whine escaped from her lips preciously.

His lips pressed hurried kisses on the back of her neck and her shoulders and she felt her stomach tense, her grip on the headboard tightened as he thrusted faster, her lips gapping further as his hand changed from her breast to the other and his thumb rubbed over her nipple, her eyes tight shut.

The room had fallen prey of the mixed sounds of her whines and his grunts and the way the bed always seemed to hiss louder when they decided on this position; the bed sheets had been kicked off the bed by Rafael when Ren had slipped under them as she had been kissing her way down his chest and his stomach and only one of the pillows still remained over the bed, the one that Ren had shoved between her chest and the bed before she had pushed herself up and held the headboard.

When she had been caressing his arms as they lay in bed together, snow had been falling, of course, Barba had lost all thought about the snow when her hand had drifted down further and she had started to rub him over his underwear, pressing light kisses against his jaw and his cheek and his lips as her other hand had slipped under his shirt to lift it up; of course he hadn’t hesitated on pulling his shirt off almost instantly and before he knew it, she had been crawling under the sheets.

“Rafi” she whined and he was amazed at how she managed to make his name sound so delicate and sweet and innocent when they were pushing the bed against the wall doggy style. His name was followed by a high pitch gasp and then she tensed around him with a soft jolt and her head dropped forward, his hand instantly leaving her chest and traveling to her stomach and then further down, a groan slipped her lips as he touched her between her legs, she let go of the headboard and dropped her chest over the pillow, her body tensing and lights flashing behind her eyelids and just as her legs started to relax, the trembling still there, she felt his hand grip her hip harder, his fingers digging into her skin and he gasped for air for a split second, his legs tensed against her and then she felt him pulling away and out.

Barba dropped himself back over his heels as Ren lay for a moment on all fours and then she pushed herself back, the hair that had slipped away from the bun danced around her as she sat down over the bed and turned to look at Rafael, there was a blush over her chest and her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a mess, but she looked great in his eyes.

“Fuck” she whispered, her right hand reached out and she pushed her hair away from her face.

He smiled at her and leaned forward, giving her a small kiss on the lips before he turned around and without stepping off the bed, he pulled on the covers and was able to rescue another of the pillows; even if they were now official, cuddling wasn’t a part of what they did after sex and he was more than ok with that.

“I’m showering again in a while” she panted, she grabbed the sheets and dropped herself down, landing over the pillow she had been using.

“That makes two of us” he said, he lay down next to her, she handed him part of the covers and he covered himself, both of them looking at the ceiling “At what time do we have to be at Nat’s place?”

“I think it’s seven” she sighed “But I have to go to the apartment first”

“Why?” he frowned and turned to look at her “I thought you had everything here”

“I do, well, no” she shrugged and glanced at him “I didn’t bring my beige bra and the white one pops too much from the shirt”

“Oh” he nodded and turned on his side “So, we go to the apartment first and then head back out to their apartment?”

“Yeah” she nodded “I think, what do you say?”

“Sounds good” he nodded.

“Great” she smiled, she turned on her side and planted a kiss over his lips, it was gentle and soft and he had to admit he liked this kisses the best. “I’m gonna go get showered, I think we should be getting ready like in ten”

“Agreed” he laughed, she winked and rolled away towards the edge of the bed before she pushed herself up to her feet and hurried towards the bathroom.

 

___________//____________

 

It was true, the invitation was for them to make it there at seven, but they got there half an hour later, with the shirt Ren had intended on wearing and a pair of wine bottles that Barba had insisted on buying and he would never agree that it had been indeed the bottles that had made them late; Nat ushered them inside the apartment, soft music was playing and they could hear voices giggling and chatting at the living room.

“You guys can set your coats here” Nat explained as she signaled the coat rack, the bottles on both her hands as she looked at them.

“Sorry we are late,” said Ren.

“Don’t worry about it” Nat chuckled, “Miranda got here like five minutes ago, so” she shrugged.

The trio walked towards the living room and found the rest of the party there, Alex, Miranda and Jason, it was just an all couples Christmas party, they greeted each other and Ren sat down next to Alex and Barba; he looked around the room, he was already expecting to be the oldest person in the room, but he’d never felt like that was a problem, and he wasn’t feeling it now.

“So, I’m going to get some appetizers and some wine” explained Nat “You can change the music if you’d like”

“Thanks” smiled Ren, Nat turned to Barba and the way her eyebrow shot up told him that something was up, he narrowed his eyes and she made a soft movement with her head, signaling him to follow her.

“I’ll help you” he said, Ren glanced at him but turned to the conversation about some book that Miranda had read.

Barba followed Nat into the kitchen, food and pastries overflowing the place and he felt his stomach turn, he hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch and he was starting to feel it; he turned to the young woman as she started to gather the wine glasses.

“ _The Tommyknockers_? Seriously?!” she turned to look at him, setting the glasses over the kitchen island “How did that happen?”

“I panicked” he answered shortly “Ok? What do you want me to tell you? It was the best idea I had”

“No it wasn’t” she shook her head “You bought that for your anniversary, Barba, what the fuck happened?”

“Look” he sighed with a shrug “I didn’t want to fuck up the dynamics of us, so I gave it to her, she loved it”

“I know she did, she’s send me like a thousand pictures of the damned fucking book” Nat rolled her eyes “And what do you mean dynamics? You didn’t get her a present for Christmas, you just winged your way through this, this is your first Christmas together and you gave her a gift thought for another occasion, what the fuck?”

“Can I talk now?” he asked, raising an amused eyebrow at Nat.

“No” she frowned “Yes, talk” she rolled her eyes.

“I did buy her a gift, I just didn’t give it to her” he explained “You want to see it?”

“Of course I do” she narrowed her eyes “I don’t trust you anymore on this subject”

Barba rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, he clicked it and looked up at Nat “Just let me figure how to unfuck this, please”

“Fine” she sighed, she walked around the island and towards Barba to take a look at what he was showing her on his phone.

Barba looked at Nat, she narrowed her eyes and looked up at him “And you gave her that book instead of this?”

“She wanted that book” he rolled his eyes.

“Yes, you idiot” she sighed “But this,” she turned to the phone “Rafael, she loved the book, but this would have been so much more especial, don’t you get that?” she took a deep breath as Barba shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Look, I’m not saying the book was a bad gift, I’m just saying that you didn’t think about that book when you thought about Christmas”

“I’m gonna be honest with you” Barba sighed, because Nat was just like that. “I didn’t know what to get her, up until almost three days ago, so yes, obviously I had my doubts, I still do”

“I understand that” she placed her hand over his shoulder “But the book was something you knew she liked, because you’ve learned about the things she likes, but this” she sighed “This was something you felt the pull to give her, and that I so much better, and the thing is, you know she’s gonna like it, so what the fuck, Barba?”

“I don’t even know how to answer that” he shrugged, “I’ll figure it out, ok? I always do, its almost basically my job”

“She’s not your job, Rafael, she’s your girlfriend” Nat rolled her eyes.

“Dios, I’ll handle it” Rafael sighed, he leaned in and took a few of the wine glasses “Now, would you cut it out already and grab the bottles? I already have enough with thinking I fucked it up without you and my mother having to say it again”

“Well, you know what they say,” Rafael glanced at her questioningly “Great minds think alike”

“Unbelievable” he rolled his eyes as Nat chuckled and shook her head.

But the thing was, it was true, Rafael had been breaking his brain thinking what to get to the technicolor star that had crash landed on his life, that at the end he had decided to self-sabotage their first Christmas together because he had been scared of screwing up; and now he had to find a way to fix this because in his effort to not mess things up, he had done just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, will he fix this? Will we find out what it is? Is it better than a Pug Puppy? 
> 
> all this answers and more (sex, fluff and Bren feels) on the next and final chapter, so tune in tomorrow, before the drama continues on the main story :D 
> 
> #TeamNat&Lucia
> 
> #WhyRafi


	5. The Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barba and Ren come back from the party, the next day Barba might be a bit hungover, but not enough to ignore that phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like odd numbers that much, so yeah, chapter six is the last chapter and it is the resolution to everything in this chapter and the rest :D
> 
> Anyway, this is not fluff, at all, sorry.

This was certainly not the way the day after Christmas should have gone, by all means, this was all the opposite, this was something that shouldn’t even have been considered, something that should have never happened, but just at ten past eight on the 26th of December, Rafael Barba’s apartment was everything it hadn’t been the night before.

They had returned from Nat’s and Alex’s place at around three in the morning, they stumbled out of the elevator together, Rafael’s arms wrapped around her waist, with his lips pressed against the curve of her neck as she tried her best not to laugh loudly as they made their way down the hallway and towards the apartment; the thing was, she was having a hard time trying not to enjoy this out loud, after all, the times that she had seen Rafael in this condition could be counted with just one hand.

They reached the door in a mess of stumbles and Barba’s wondering hands, one of them had managed to snake its way under her shirt and now lay over her stomach as her spread messy kissed on the back of her neck and her head.

“Rafi” she chuckled, she shook her head as she looked down at the keys that she had managed to get away from him earlier during the night.

“Cariño” he whispered against her hair.

“The neighbors could hear us” she explained, she took the key and pushed it into the lock of the apartment.

Barba pulled his face away from her hair, he was probably already pass the word tipsy, he seemed to think about what she had just said before his hand slipped under her bra.

“That didn’t bother you the other day” he whispered as he bit down on her shoulder.

“Rafael!” she gasped, squirming under his touch, she shoved the door open.

“Cariño” he whispered and it sounded like a whine, Renata glanced at him over her shoulder and had to press her lips into a thin line to avoid a laugh, this was the loose Rafael that amused her more than anyone ever would. “Me enciendes como nadie” he continued, he leaned forward and pressed his lips sloppily over her own.

He tasted like whiskey and cake and those weird Christmas candies that Alex loved so much, his lips were hurried and he bit down on her lower lip, a soft grunt escaping from her lips towards his and she felt Rafael smile as they stood inside the apartment with the open door; her left hand reached around and both their heads and she pressed it over the back of his head, melting under the messy kiss.

The hand he had under her bra gave her left breast a gentle squeeze before he started to massage her and his lips became a bit more desperate, she arched her back to press her chest further against his hand; the first time they had had sex, she had been drunk and he had been the one who was tipsy, and she had been the one whispering into his ear in Spanish, stringing him along with her voice but this time it had been the other way around, this time Rafael had been the one whispering into her ear and touching her leg, softly pulling up the fabric of her midi skirt and running his hand up her leg.

Ren pulled away from him, they were panting and fire was burning in his eyes and her skin felt like it needed release, but still she stepped away from his hand, and he pulled it away from under her bra so she could turn to the door and close it.

Rafael shrugged off his coat and made his way towards the kitchen, pulling his scarf off and dropping it over one of the counters, Ren on the other hand set her handbag over the coat rack and slipped off her shoes before she followed her drunk boyfriend towards the kitchen.

“What are you doing, counselor?” she asked, he had his back to her, facing the kitchen island and was already pulling off his socks when she reached him.

He opened his mouth to speak but her right hand had snaked around his waist and her fingers were now gently feathering over the growing tent in his jeans, instead of words he softly hissed as she pressed her palm over him.

“What are you doing, counselor?” she asked again, this time the words tickled his ear.

Her hand slipped up and both of her hands started to work on his belt, she unbuckled it swiftly and proceeded to unbutton his jeans.

“Why are you suddenly speechless?” she asked, the tip of her tongue graced the back of his ear. “You had so much to say back at the cab”

“I don’t recall that” he said, trying his best to sound casual, but she could hear the agitation in his voice.

“Really?” both her hands pushed down his jeans, with minimum effort he stepped off them and kicked them to the side.

“Really” he said.

One of her hands left his hips and he felt it land on the back of his head, the pads of her fingers pressing gently against his scalp and he closed his eyes.

“You don’t remember asking about the color of my underwear?” she asked, her voice was soft against his ear “Or telling me how bad you wanted to bend me over this kitchen island? How you liked your fingers between my legs?”

“Shit” he whispered into the dark apartment as the hand that she still had on his hip slipped under the elastic of his boxer briefs and cupped him under the fabric, his hands were gripping at the edge of the island as she rubbed up and down.

“Maybe we could make a deal” she said, and her voice had that innocent tone that could make him do anything she ever asked for.

“Like what?” he managed to mumble.

“Maybe if you are nice with me, I’ll lift this skirt up and you’ll get to bend me over the kitchen island” she purred, her hand traveled up and out to his briefs again and she pushed down the fabric, her hand returning to its duties, slowly sliding up and down his erection.

“Is that so?” he asked.

“But only if I get to one thing in return” she explained, he nodded against her face. “Turn around counselor”

She pulled her whole body away from his and Rafael turned around, there was only one light on in the apartment and it was a table lamp from the living room, giving the kitchen a dim light effect that made her look breath taking.

Ren grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head rapidly, his hands started to work on getting his own shirt off as he watched her pull the bra off her as well, she threw it to the side and then stepped towards him.

“If I get this” she whispered, that pure tone was back “I’ll let you do anything you want”

“What is it?” he asked, he shrugged the shirt off once he was done with the buttons.

And with that Ren dropped to her knees, her right hand wrapping around him, but the groan only escaped his lips the second her mouth was wrapped around him, his head dropped back as his hands held the edge of the island.

He was panting, one of his hands leaving the table and landing on the back of her head, he caressed her, his fingers messing up her hair but he didn’t push, he just caressed her head as her tongue worked magic on him.

Rafael opened his mouth, an incredibly soft _Corazón_ slipped out of his lips as he felt his stomach tense and his mind debated on itself intensely; his body was on fire, he loved the way her mouth felt around him, the way her hands helped in and the way she was looking up at him with her eyes big and faking all the innocence in the world, but another part of him really, really wanted what he had been whispering in the cab.

But before he could think any further, she pushed herself up to her feet and pressed her lips against his, his hands cupping her face tightly as she pressed her body against his, her skirt brushing against his naked lower body.

“Was that good, counselor?” she whispered against his ear, her hand had returned between his legs, she pouted softly “Do I get a reward?”

“Yes” he answered rapidly, his hands dropped from her face to her hips and in one swift movement he turned them around, pressing her face first against the island.

Ren pushed herself up slightly by her elbows as Rafael pushed the skirt over her hips, in this light he wasn’t sure if her underwear was blue or green but as soon as he slipped his hand between her legs, he could tell it was lace.

He touched her softly for a few seconds, the underwear already slick enough, and Ren allowed her stomach and chest to lay flat over the island as Rafael pulled down her panties, she felt them hit her ankles and she kicked them away, Rafael’s hands held her knee and pushed her legs apart before he pressed himself inside her slick core, a high pitch moan dripped out of her lips and his hands landed over her hips before he started to thrust.

The night had ended in a chorus of moans and gasps and a few Spanish words, they had left the island with all the clothes behind and even with one too many drinks, they had fooled around at the bed for a bit longer; and in the end, the sun had drifted into the room, finding a mess of pillows and sheets, the pleas for more had died a few hours back together with the grinding and pressing and the mess of legs and arms and kisses.

Rafael had pulled on a pair of sweatpants as Ren had been showering, she had to get somethings from her apartment and deliver a few photos to one of her clients, so he would be spending the day doing some work to get ahead and like that, they would have all the afternoon and night for themselves, and he would be ready to give her the real gift.

Ren was pulling on her boots when Rafael padded out to the kitchen to grab some coffee that she had made, he was pouring himself a cup when a phone rang on the island; the lawyer looked around before his eyes landed over Ren’s phone, he stepped towards it, with the mug filled with the dark and warm liquid and looked down at the screen.

And Ren’s words would at the end, be her downfall.

“Can you get that?” she called from the room, Barba frowned at the name, he glanced at the door of the room and then slowly answered the call.

“Hello” he said.

“Hello, good morning” it was a male voice he knew pretty well. “Is Renata Alvarez there? I’m meaning to speak to her”

Barba glanced at the door, setting the mug down over the island “She can’t come to the phone at the moment, can I get her message?”

“Of course”

Ren came out of the room almost five minutes later, her bag across her chest and a beanie on her head, she wasn’t planning on being out long but still she wasn’t considering getting a cold either, and she wasn’t expecting to find Rafael glaring at her from the other side of the kitchen island.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I think I should be the one asking that” he barked, Ren’s eyebrows shot up.

“Excuse me?” she asked, she frowned and walked towards the island, that was the only thing standing between them. “Who was that? And why are you suddenly upset? Is it the hungover?”

“No, its not the hangover, its this” he clicked the phone and slid it towards her, she looked down at it and looked at the name of the person who had been calling her.

“Oh no” she whispered so softly that Barba barely heard her, but he still did.

“Really? That’s what you’re going to go for?”

Ren looked down at the phone for a few seconds before she looked back up at him, her jaw was tense but she didn’t look away.

 “I seriously cannot believe this, Renata” he hissed, he signaled the phone that she was now holding in her hand and then he pressed his hand flat over the kitchen island.

“What did he say?” she asked.

“You know what he said, I pretty dam sure about that” he snapped, Ren looked at him and nodded, she looked down at the phone, a strand of hair slipped down to her face.

“Yes, I do” she agreed “And this is certainly an inconvenient, but I really can’t do this right now, I have to go” she had seen the time, if she didn’t leave now, she would be late and the place would close without her.

“Yeah, oh so busy, aren’t you?” he barked back, snow was falling outside and they were getting angry in the kitchen. “You know what? Before you go, just at least tell me, one thing, where you planning on telling me about this?”

Ren looked at him dead in the eyes, he had that stand that he used when he was at court, his jaw was set and his eyes were stern and there was a blush creeping up from his chest that was spreading up to her cheeks.

“To be honest,” she shrugged, she popped her hip to the left, “No, I wasn’t going to tell you about it, Rafael”

The answer struck him like a swing with a bat to the face, he frowned and shook his head gently twice, blinking rapidly for a moment as he stared at his girlfriend, and her answer, and the way she was looking at him, her eyes cold, her posture casual, fueled his anger.

“Are you being serious right now?” he asked, and even if he was angry, he was also kind of hurt.

“Yes, of course I am” she said, her free hand landed over her hip. “I would I be lying about it?” she swallowed and he looked even more perplexed than before.

“Wow” he finally said, he raised his hands in a sign of surrender “This is unbelievable”

“Why are you acting like this?” she finally barked, she pointed at him with the hand she was using to hold her phone. “This, this is the reason I’ve kept it a secret! If you could just take a breath, and cool down, maybe we could talk when I get back…

“Kept it a secret?!” he sounded beyond the word offended “You kept him a secret?! How could you do that? Huh?” he looked at her with shock spreading over his face. “You can’t blame me because you kept that a secret!” he pointed at phone.

“I’m not blaming you, Barba” she said, she dropped her shoulders “I just… she shrugged “I just… I don’t know, ok? I don’t know why this happened”

“That’s your defense? That’s it?” now he sounded angry “That’s your case? That’s just bullshit, you can’t use that as your defense! All the evidence, all the proves are here, and you just answer that to what I’m asking you?”

“Stop it!” she barked loudly “This isn’t a trial, this isn’t your fucking job!” she shoved her phone inside her handbag, he looked at her dead in the eyes “This isn’t your job, Barba, this is us, so don’t use that tone that you use at court, because I am not a judge, I am not a lawyer, I am your fucking girlfriend and you better start remembering that”

“You should remember that this isn’t about my job” he said angrily “This is about the fact that you lied to, Renata and do you even feel bad about it?”

“You make it sound like that?” she groaned “Its not like that, its not like that at all, I honestly don’t think you’d understand if I even tried to explain right now, so I’ll give your space and we can later, without screaming or you trying to cross examine me like this is some kind of family courtroom,” he rolled his eyes at her.

“Fine” he shrugged “Fine” he said again “That’s your choice, right?” she sighed at him “And I’m sorry you feel like that, so you can go on about your day” he signaled the door. “You don’t have to worry about this anymore”

“Seriously?” she asked, “You are gonna be like that now?”

“Yeah, I am” he answered honestly, he shrugged once more, taking the mug and turned around heading towards the room, his bare feet silent as Ren watched him walk away; the young woman raised an eyebrow at him as he made his way towards the bedroom. Ren tightened her jaw, she hadn’t intended on making it seem like this was his fault, it was hers, but right now she couldn’t be there, because she knew how he got with this topic.

Barba was reaching the door of the room when she spoke again “This isn’t a trial, Barba, this is about my health, so no, I don’t feel bad about lying to you”

And with that she turned to walk towards the door, yanking her coat and her scarf from the coat rack and pulling the door open, she walked out as Rafael looked over his shoulder as she closed the door behind herself.

He stared at the door for a few seconds before he made his way inside the room, his heart was beating madly in his chest, this wasn’t the first time they had had a nasty fight, but this was the first time something like that phone call happened, so of course he was angry, but most of all he was really worried. He sat down over the bed, he shook his head slightly and turned to the computer which he had left there before going to the kitchen for some coffee, and that trip had resulted in him answering Ren’s phone; he grabbed the laptop but his eyes drifted towards the discarded leggings and knitted sweater over the chair close to the closets, he sighed and turned back to his computer, he had work to do and now that the apartment was empty, and he wasn’t sure if Ren would be coming back later that day or night, he could get his work done with, even if more than half his brain and his heart were miles away from that bedroom at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you guys go, I was wondering if you have any other suggestions for mini series you'd like to see about this fandom, I love writting SVU so if you have any other ideas like the Christmas special, do not hesitate to let me know :D So expect some love and fluff and obviously sex on the next instalment, coming up tomorrow
> 
>  
> 
> #WhoWasCalling
> 
> #RenWhatAreYouHidding
> 
> Did anyone doubt Ren at any moment? Did anyone think this was a cheating thing? Let me know :D :D :D


	6. The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!!!!

She walked down the darkening street, her hands inside the pockets of her long coat, her scarf wrapped around her neck and her beanie pulled down as far as it would go, she was walking rapidly down the sidewalk, her boots landing steady over the frozen cement; the wind was hitting her face and her cheeks and nose were already numb.

The day had stretched much longer than she had expected, her meeting with her client had turned emotional after she had delivered the findings and the pictures, but Ren had already gotten used to that, it was just the way this job worked.

After her meeting with her client and getting the information from a new one, she had decided to get something to eat, with a cinnamon roll and some coffee and sitting at a small café, she had finally allowed her mind to drift to the argument that had taken place at Barba’s apartment.

She had sighed and looked down at her phone, her other hand holding the coffee she had ordered, she had read the email a hundred times before, she knew the words by memory almost, the young woman sighed and looked up, her eyes drifting towards the board with the different options of drinks that could be ordered.

Ren didn’t have to be a genius to know that this was on her, she had been the one to ask Barba to answer the phone, but mostly because she had been the one who had decided not to tell her boyfriend about her new visits to the doctor and the tests that had been done; but then again she had felt it was something not to be mentioned during the holidays, especially after the way Barba had reacted when she had been hospitalized.

“Right” she whispered into the rim of her cup before she pressed it against her lips and took a drink, it could have been her fault, but she was still agreeing on the fact that Barba had indeed overreacted.

She had finished her coffee and pastry and had ended up going for a walk, she had made a stop at her apartment to pick a gift for John and then had left to his apartment; and there she had spent much of the day, talking and having tea and finally getting some Chinese before Ren had decided to call it a day and leave to head home.

She had checked her phone before leaving and with the low battery sign that it had displayed, she was sure that it had already died, but that didn’t really bother her, she wasn’t far from her house and to be honest, she was sure no one was currently looking for her and the only thing she needed with the phone was to text John to let him know that she had made it home safe and sound.

“ _This has been a fucking rollercoaster of a day”_ she thought, she pulled both of her hands out of her coat and rubbed her cheeks with her hands inside the gloves. “ _I just want to go to bed”_ she returned her hands to her coat and took a turn on the street, it had been a long day, a shower and some sleep would just be fantastic. “ _I’m just gonna go home”_

With a few goals in mind, Ren started to walk faster and before she knew it, she was there, climbing up the stairs of her apartment building and making her way to her floor and her house, she had pulled out her hands from her pockets and had pulled her gloves off, shoving them inside the pocket of her coat, together with her scarf and her beanie.

She walked inside her apartment, closing the door and walking in the darkness towards the room, the open curtains from the living room allowed enough light to swarm in and guide her way, she swung her bag over her head and dropped it over the bed, her camera was there so she wasn’t about to throw the thing away on the floor.

She sat over the edge of the bed and pulled her boots off before she started discarding the rest of her clothes, her nose and cheeks were still numb and she’d always loved to sleep after a warm shower, so only in her underwear, Ren made her way inside the bathroom and closed the door behind herself.

Ren stood under the shower, her eyes closed as she pushed the water away from her face and down her hair, her mind drifting away to a memory of a few months ago, they had been gathering their things to leave the apartment and head out to meet with Lucia.

And Ren could remember it perfectly, the way the pain had shot up her body like a punch on her lower abdomen at first, she had stopped in her tracks at the kitchen, she had frowned for a moment, her left hand had pressed itself against her abdomen and she felt her whole body tense up; she took a deep breath, her body slowly loosening up, she glanced over her shoulder, Rafael was looking down at his phone standing in the living room, she took a deep breath and pushed forward as the pain seemed to pass.

What came next had been even worse, the pain had sprouted from her like knives were being pressed into her abdomen, her hand over her stomach had gripped at the fabric of her shirt as she closed her eyes tight and her body tensed up even more, her body shaking, her lungs forgetting how to breath as she waited for the pain to pass.

It hadn’t passed, but after so many months of lighter pains, this one simply creeped on her like just a few others had done throughout her teen years and early adult life. 

And she had forgotten how horrible they were.

Instead, after the initial stabbing sensation, she had felt her lower abdomen burst with agony, she felt like her insides were being pulled down, like they were being torn to shreds, the hand that wasn’t gripping at her shirt, let go of the phone she was holding and shot to the side to grab at the kitchen island, her knees buckled as the phone bounced on the floor and called Rafael’s attention.

“Alvarez, what are you… he asked as he looked up from his phone just as a horrified gasp escaped her lips and she dropped herself to her knees. “Ren!” he had gasped loudly, throwing his phone over the sofa and dashing towards her.

She doubled over, her lungs forcing themselves to suck in some kind of air as her hands gripped at her shirt, it had been so long since she had felt this kind of pain, she had been so sure that everything had been fixed and yet here she was.

“Ren, what’s wrong?” he was asking, but she couldn’t answer, she gripped at her shirt harder with both hands, gasping for air. “Corazón, talk to me” his hands were over her shoulders. “What’s happening?!”

“Oh god” she had mumbled but now she wasn’t sure if the words had even left her lips, tears were streaming down her face, her body tense and hot and flaring up with pain. “Oh god” one of her hands had let go of her shirt and shot out to grab Rafael, he reached down and held her hand as her body slowly started to spasm with the vanishing pain, but the ghost of it was still there.

She had seen the look on his face, his eyes big, the color gone, his lips gapped and his hand squeezed under her panicked grip; he had taken her to the hospital once she had been able to stand up from the floor of the kitchen.

And that had been the way Rafael had found out about her issue, because that too had been something she had kept secret from him, until she had almost passed out in his kitchen floor, and to be honest that simply ….

“ _That wasn’t fair”_ she thought as she walked out of the bathroom. “Fuck” she hissed as she walked towards her closet.

No, it hadn’t been fair for him to find out like that, and it hadn’t been fair to him that she had been going back to the doctor without at least telling him.

 

___________//____________

 

Barba had dozed off at around six in the afternoon, the computer lay closed at the left of the bed, a few files piled up over the laptop and two empty mugs of coffee over the nightstand, the curtains hadn’t been drawn but the darkness from the night had crept inside and only the nightlight over the nightstand was keeping the shadows at bay from swallowing whole everything in the room.

His eyes fluttered open as an echo rang inside his mind, as the images of the room came into view, he realized that the noise wasn’t in his mind, but instead it was something echoing and bouncing around the walls of the apartment.

The doorbell.

Rafael grunted and pushed himself to a sitting position, his eyelids felt heavy but with a sigh he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and then proceeded to push himself to his feet, he turned to look at the clock he had on the small table and was surprised to see that he had been out for almost two hours. Another ring echoed through the apartment and forced Barba to start moving towards the door, he crossed the living room in total darkness, he knew the route by memory and as yet another ring spread through the apartment.

“Jesus” he whispered, he reached for the knob and pulled the door open, the light from the hallway gushing into the apartment before he focused on the figure at the other side of the door.

“Hey” her voice was soft.

“Hey” he answered back, actually surprised to see her at the other side of the door.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course you can” he rolled his eyes, his lips twitching into a small smile, she looked at him for a moment and then stepped inside the apartment, the scarf he had given her and her long coat were already hanging from her arm.

She walked towards the coat rack and set the items over the rack, next to the rack Barba watched as she stepped off her shoes and then hanged her handbag over one of the arms of the rack, she stopped moving for a moment and then turned around to look at him.

“Can we talk?”

He looked at her, he had tuned out the fight from earlier that day, he had focused on his work and had even assumed that Ren wouldn’t be returning that day to his apartment, and now here she was and she wanted to talk and he couldn’t just start fighting again.

“Yeah, of course” he shrugged and pushed his hands inside the pockets of his sweatpants, with the lights from the hallway shut out by the door, Barba turned and started to walk towards the living room, he reached towards one of the lamps and turned it on, the snow globe that she had given him as decoration for the apartment was standing in the middle of the coffee table. “You can sit down” he said even if he hesitated for a moment and then sat at the left corner of the sofa.

Ren pulled out her phone from her pocket and sat down at the other corner of the sofa, part of her hair a bit damp from her shower not even an hour ago.

“Did you finish work?” she asked, she set her phone over her lap.

“Yeah” he answered, his voice was strained, just like it had been earlier that day.

“Good” she nodded, she looked at him for a moment before she spoke once more “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the doctor” he looked at her for a moment.

“After everything that happened, why didn’t you tell me about it?” he asked, his voice sounded tired.

“Because,” she shrugged “You have already so much work and stress and the last time you acted like you didn’t trust me enough with this subject, Barba” she turned her body to face him and pulled her legs up to the sofa, pressing her knees to her chest. “And I didn’t tell you because I knew how you would get”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You get bossy, Barba, you want to control the situation and you can’t” she shrugged “Because it’s just the way it is, you wanted me to try the pills and the procedure and all the options almost at the same time, and honestly I don’t know what of those I want and you seemed so stressed that telling you that I needed you to chill for a moment to let me think, didn’t seem right” she took a deep breath “I’m not saying this is your fault, it isn’t, none of this would have happened if I had told you about this problem from the beginning”

He looked at her dead in the eyes, she wasn’t wrong, he had felt himself grow beyond the word anxious when they had arrived to the hospital, and with everything that happened after that, his anxiety only grew, but he hadn’t realized that in his urge to give his anxiety some release, he had been putting on Ren unnecessary pressure.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t trust you with making the right decision” he finally spoke “It’s a habit, you know that, micromanaging when I feel like everything is spiraling out of control”

“I wasn’t going to tell you about the visits,” she said again “Not yet at least, I was when everything was said and done, I didn’t mean to hide it from you” she scooted towards him “I know you think I was hiding it because something is wrong, nothing is wrong, the exams came out fine and I’ll gladly look over the finally options of what can be done, with you, of course if you want to”

A soft smirk spread over his lips and he pushed himself towards her, she scooted closer and as soon as he was close enough, she set her legs over his lap and he pulled her towards him, passing his arms around her shoulders as she lay her head over his shoulder.

He had been hurt more than angry that she hadn’t told him about the new visits to the doctor, but he also kind of understood, and more than that, he understood that at the end of the day this was her decision, and he was here to hold her hand and walk through it with her, and the fact that she had at the end of the day returned to his apartment had lifted the anger and anxiety and hurt from his shoulders.

“I thought you weren’t going to come back tonight” he whispered into her hair after a few minutes in silence, his fingers caressing her back as they looked out the window, snow was falling again.

“I’m just full of surprises” she joked, he snorted a laugh “And anyway, sleeping in your warm bed is so much better than being alone at the other one”

“What can I say? I’m just that good of a company” he laughed.

“Oh my god” she rolled her eyes, her voice amused “Are you sure I’ll fit in the bed with you and your ego?”

“We’ll make room for you” he kissed the side of her head.

“How kind of you” she squirmed closer to him, “But then again, your ego can’t really jerk you off early in the morning, can it?”

This time his laugh echoed in the living room, he knew the tension between them was over once the innuendos and the sexual comments arrived, and he had never in his life missed those comments more than he had during her absence that day.

“You know? I’m really feeling like having waffles tomorrow” she shifted her body and looked up at him. “Maybe we can just eat our own weight tomorrow”

“As long as the syrup stays in the bottle and not all over the covers” he pointed out.

“Upsi” she smiled, she reached up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips “In my defense, I really did think the bottle was closed” she moved her body again, this time pulling her legs away from his lap before she straddled him “I promise I’ll be careful” she whispered before giving him another soft kiss.

“Fine” he chuckled, his hands over her waist as he looked up at her and she looked at him, her arms resting over his shoulders as her hands played with the back of his hair.

“You’re the best, you know that?” she smiled.

“I do”

She laughed loudly and hugged him, pressing his face against his chest before Barba’s hands rolled up to her back and he moved, the movement would have been swifter, had Ren not pulled one of her leg back but still, he set her over the sofa and then promptly pushed himself up to his feet.

“What’s wrong?” she asked again, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Nothing, just give me a second” and with that he walked around the sofa and made his way towards the room, Ren watched him for a moment before she shrugged and curled herself against the arm rest of the sofa that she knew better than any other piece of furniture in that house; she had seen it a few months ago on a magazine, and had casually mentioned to Barba that she liked the color and the design, of course she hadn’t been expecting him to buy it some days later.

She looked at the windows, they were beautiful and one of the things she loved the most about sitting in the living room, she cocked her head to the left as she watched the snowflakes fall and all of this just felt right, her body had relaxed completely and she could even feel herself dozing off when Barba returned to the living room.

“Sorry about that” he said, he walked towards the coffee table and sat down over the edge, Ren narrowed her eyes and sat down straight and looked at him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing, I just want to talk to you about something” he explained, he looked down at his hands “About Christmas”

“Ok” she whispered and nodded “What is it?” he looked up at her.

“I didn’t mean to give you that book, Ren” he explained, Ren’s eyebrow shot up. “I mean, I did buy it for you, but it was a present meant for our anniversary”

“Oh”

“The thing is, I didn’t know what to get you” he continued, she leaned over her knees and looked at him, her hands holding her head.

“That’s ok, the book was amazing” she smiled “You don’t have to worry about that, baby”

“Of course I do” he sighed, “This was our first Christmas and I didn’t give you want I wanted to give you because I was worried”

“Worried?” she frowned “Barba, what are you talking about? You didn’t have to worry about presents, you always know exactly what I want”

“Yeah well, maybe I was worried you wouldn’t want this” he explained “Because to be honest, I don’t know if you want it, but it is something I want to give you”

“Ok” she whispered “Um, ok, yeah, if you still want to give it to me, I’ll be more than happy to see it” he looked at her for a moment before his hand went into the pocket of his hoodie and he pulled out a thin circle box, he handed it to her. “Ok” she took it with a soft smile “Can I open it now, or should I wait?”

“Of course you can open it now” he looked at her “It’s yours,”

She looked at him for a moment before she turned back to the box, she set it over her lap and slowly pulled the lid off, she hadn’t been expecting this kind of confession and she was a bit confused but still she pulled the lid off the box and looked inside.

She looked inside, her eyebrows knitting together before her right hand reached inside and she pulled out the item in the box, she looked at it and then looked up at Barba.

“I don’t understand” she whispered, the thin item between her thumb and her index. “I mean” she shook her head “I know what this is, obviously, I just don’t understand what it means”

“I know we haven’t talked about it” he explained, he leaned forward and set his hands over her knees “But I just felt it was the right thing to do, I hope you don’t get upset”

“I’m not upset, Rafi, I just don’t understand what this is supposed to be”

He leaned forward and took the item from her hand, he looked at it and then looked up at her, her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes over him as she waited for an answer or an explanation or even both.

“I wanted to know if you’d like to move in with me” he finally said, and his heart was racing, she looked at him her expression unchanging “I mean, most of your clothes are here, all your shoes are here, you’ve helped me chose most of the decoration in the past nine months and  I just… he shook his head “I don’t know if this was a bad idea, but the other night when you brought the decorations you called this your home and I really want to make this OUR home, and I just want to come home and know that you’ll be here, that your weird music will be playing in the kitchen on the weekends and that your comic books will take up half the shelf at the back of the apartment, and that’s not even mentioning your books and I don’t know I just felt like….

She could hear him talking, his mouth was moving and he was rubbing her knee with one hand as he held the key on the other hand and her heart was racing and the words he was speaking were only making her blush and feel like her heart was about to explode into multicolored confetti; and he never really finished the sentence before she threw herself forward and her lips smacked against his and he had to hold her to avoid her from dropping from the sofa as she kissed him deep and sweet.

Ren pulled away and cupped his face, the key still between his fingers.

“Si!” she exclaimed “Of course, I’d love to move in with you!” and she pulled him into another kiss, her lips pressing kisses over his lips and cheeks and his nose, she pulled her hands away from his face and turned to the key, gently she took it away from him and looked down at it, her hair falling around her lip a golden curtain, a smile spreading over her face. “I’d love to make this our home” she looked up at him.

“You can officially leave your apartment in January, but we can start bringing a few things, we can see online if you’d like to buy anything else”

“I love you” she whispered, her smiled getting closer to him before she kissed his lips tenderly “I love you, Rafi” she whispered against him.

“I love you too, Alvarez” he smiled, his eyes closed and his heart rushing, because it was true, he didn’t know what to give as a gift to a technicolor star, but he had learned that the thing about stars is that they can live without jewels and dresses and lingerie, because they’d rather have someone willing to hold their hand when things get rough, someone who will give her the left side of the bed, who will be happy just to come home and hear music that he didn’t like but she did, someone who would watch that abomination of a movie called _Sharknado_ when she found it playing on the TV.

Technicolor stars need serious lawyers that will kiss them like there is nothing in the world that has ever been more beautiful and serious lawyers need technicolor stars to show them that all the love and shiny colors they have inside, is to share with them on the brightest days and the darkest nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont know if the present was that exciting in the end, but I think it meant a lot, mostly because its a way for Barba to show that he is opening up to her like he hasn't done it before, I dont know if you guys saw it like that or soemthing else, so let me know!!!
> 
> And also. I already go a suggestion for a mini series, so if you have one as well I'm up for suggestions on mini series if you have any!!! 
> 
> Let me know what you think!!! <3 <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> Barba's first chapter is up!!! Carisi comes tomorrow  
> anyway!!! Let me know what you think!!! <3 <3 <3


End file.
